


A New Life

by SterekShipper



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Human AU, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Theo's POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:01:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25977136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SterekShipper/pseuds/SterekShipper
Summary: All Theo wanted was to study to become a musician. It was a dream no one, not even his family understood. What will happen when he decides to follow the dream?
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	A New Life

Music. It had been his life since he was eight and he heard Simple Plan for the first time. Their songs, the lyrics spoke to him in a way nothing else did. Growing up, he'd always felt a distance between him and the other children at school. Like he didn't belong. There was a part of him, that said he'd never be like them. That he'd never fit in. It was for that reason, he turned to music. It didn't take long for his musical inclinations to become apparent, and his range to expand. Simple Plan led to Lincoln Park, which in turn led to Skillet. By the time he was twelve, he was fully immersed in the world of alternative rock. The bands he listened to weren't necessarily the same as those around him, but he found he didn't care. When he had his music to listen to, he felt like he mattered. Like he had found what he was supposed to do. Some would say that at twelve, he was too young to know what he wanted. They would call his ambitions, his beliefs adorable. Those people didn't understand. They didn't know what it meant to him.

They didn't want to know.

When he was on his own, hidden from the world in his room in what had become his safe place, he came alive. The words and sounds would flow throughout his room, echoing off the walls. They lifted, held and inspired him. The voices of those who had achieved their dreams; the same dreams he aspired to, encouraged him. He would prove to everyone who had ever doubted him, who'd called him wishful or naive, that he could do this. That he _would_ do this. Nothing was going to stop him. It took months of convincing his parents to buy him a guitar; years to be given a piano. It wasn't a question of money, but of motivation. They still believed that he would tire of the obsession, and that they would have wasted valuable money on something he no longer wanted to do. They still believed that once he had them, he wouldn't want to practice and that they would go unused, collecting dust in the corner of his room. Once he'd finally succeeded in attaining the instruments, he had to be pried away from practicing when it came time for school. If his parents wanted something, whether it was cleaning or forcing him to complete his homework, he was once more pulled away from one instrument, if not both.

When he was seventeen, his parents still insisted this was a phase. It became even more apparent when he announced his intentions for college. It didn't go over well, when he said he would be applying for a music program. The selection process was rigorous, due to limited places. It was a long shot, but one he was prepared to take. As for his parents, well, they felt it was better to take a more secure route. One which held a greater chance of being accepted; of gaining a job. If they had their way, he would have gone on to study medicine or accounting. Both fine jobs and honourable work, but not the right fit for him. It led to a string of arguments; each more heated than the last. Neither was prepared to change their mind. To agree to the others' decision. At the end of senior year, the results of his college applications arrived. He had never been so happy. Opening his letter to find he had been accepted into the music program, was both an enormous relief and a dream come true. It was yet another step towards achieving what he had set out to do, all those years ago. To follow in the footsteps of those who had encouraged him. Those who had shown him it was possible to do what you loved. Those who had given him hope, when he had felt there was nothing for him; when he had been at his lowest.

After informing his parents of the results, and that he would be attending, he had been unceremoniously kicked out. Apparently, if he was determined to be reckless and throw his life away, then he could do so on his own. They refused to support someone, who would never amount to anything. He had been given an hour to gather his belongings, and be out of the house. He could only carry so much, and with no way to move it, had been forced to leave his piano behind. That's how he ended up living in his truck. He'd bought the truck two years ago, after getting a job at a local bookshop. It had taken a while to save enough money, but it was worth it. It was nice knowing he wasn't reliant upon his parents to drive him. Explaining his every decision, always left him drained and frustrated. A simple request felt like a marathon, and he was almost guaranteed to lose. Turns out, a solid job while studying wasn't enough to prove he was responsible.

It had been hard at first. The cold nights, the uncertainty of where he would park. More often than not, he woke to a Deputy informing him he couldn't sleep there. It was a couple of weeks before they became suspicious; having since realised more than one Deputy had on several occasions asked him to move along. Being confronted about being homeless, had been uncomfortable to say the least. It had been even harder to find a way out of it. The last thing he needed was pity. After a performance of a lifetime, he had finally convinced the Deputies that he lived on campus, but needed to rest before driving back, after late-night study sessions. It was then that he made sure to stay clear of supermarkets and open areas; opting instead for remote, hidden areas where he could remain unseen by any passing Police cars. Six months in, it had become his new normal. He was used to the feeling of being scared, of not knowing what would come next. It was easy enough to feed himself and secure the basic necessities through what he earned, but there was never going to be enough to find a house. Not whilst working at a bookshop. He didn't care. Not enough to change anything. If you gave him the chance to go back, his answer would be always be no. If chasing his dreams and being himself meant being homeless for a while longer, then so be it. He would do anything to succeed.

A year later, he was in class when a man he hadn't seen before sat down beside him. There was something about the man, that caught his attention. Something that he couldn't look away from. That is, until the other man turned around and their eyes met. He had been caught red handed. There was no way around this; he couldn't hide the fact he had been staring, and that left a pit of dread in his stomach. He expected the man to leave; after all, he probably seemed like a creep. What surprised him, was that never happened. Instead, the man smiled and introduced himself. Liam. It was Liam's first day in the Program, having transferred after winning the selection board over. There had been a reason why Liam couldn't enrol the year before, but it wasn't something Liam wanted to talk about. He understood what it was like to have secrets. To be unable to let people in; to let people see behind the mask. That's why he never asked Liam to explain. He never pressured Liam for answers. For the first time, he had a friend. It was easy talking to Liam; it felt natural in a way it never had with anyone else. For the first time in his life, someone not only accepted that he wanted to be a musician, they also understood why it meant so much. Liam had grown up with a similar disconnection to other people. Music had been a release for both of them; one they had so desperately needed.

It was a nice change having someone to talk to. Someone to sit with during class, and to work on ideas for new songs with. It was something he had never had before, and now that he did, he found he didn't want to lose it. Which was why the news he was being fired, left him anxious and more scared than he had ever been. His pleas to his boss fell unheard, or at least, unanswered. He knew it wasn't by choice. The bookstore had been suffering a low in sales recently, but he hadn't realised just how bad it was. His boss just didn't have the money to keep him on. When he left, he felt numb. He didn't know how to react. That job had been the one thing keeping him afloat. How was he supposed to survive with no income? How was he going to afford to continue the music program? The idea of having to forfeit his place, sent a wave of panic through him. He felt like he couldn't breath. He was on the verge of losing everything he had, everything he had worked for. His chest tightened; a weight he had never known rendering it impossible to gain enough air. He was going to lose the program. He was going to lose his chance. He was going to lose Liam.

It had been nearly three years since he left home, and he was exactly where his parents said he would be. Alone, broke and a failure. The world seemed to be closing in around him. It was becoming increasingly difficult to focus; to tell what was real and what was an oxygen-deprived hallucination. Every breath burned; each thinner than the last. Collapsing against what he thought to be a wall, he was ready to let the darkness take him. He let his head drop, resigned to the fact this might be the end. It was then he felt a hand pulling him up; the sudden movement threatening to send him crashing to the ground. He would have too, had it not been for the strong grip on his arm. A soothing voice broke the previous static, and though he couldn't make out the words, he felt some of his tension ease. Despite not knowing who was speaking, he instantly knew he could trust them. After what felt like an eternity, his vision cleared and he slowly pieced together what had happened. He looked up to find Liam sitting next to him; concern etched into the features he knew so well. It turns out, what he had thought was a wall, was actually the road. He had come within seconds of being hit by a car, and were it not for Liam, he might not be alive right now.

He was too tired to fight anymore. So, when Liam offered to drive him home, he felt tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He couldn't hide it anymore. Someone needed to know. It almost felt liberating to admit that he was homeless. He hadn't known what to expect. What does one say to finding out your friend has been living in their truck, for longer than you've known them? Well, for Liam it involved offering him a place to live. It was genuine, and truth be told, it was more a fact than a suggestion. He wasn't given a choice. It was surreal to be back inside four walls. To be living with someone else. To feel safe. He had been on his own for so long, he had forgotten what it felt like. Living with Liam however, was nothing like living with his family. It was better than he could have imagined. It was a few days after he'd moved in, that he learned what Liam had been through. Liam's family had been far from tolerant. They had taken their anger out on Liam, and their latest attack had resulted in Liam being hospitalised. Scared of what would happen once he was discharged, Liam ran away from home to start a new life. They had more in common than he had ever known. Though the details might be different, the causes were the same. A new life was what they both needed. One they shared together. It wouldn't be easy. There were bound to be more hurdles along the way; some more challenging than others.

For the first time though, it was more than a dream. For the first time, he could see the finish line.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in one night, after the idea of Theo as a musician came to mind. Here's hoping ya'll enjoy it.


End file.
